Lasciel Elis would find her sixteenth-round opponent to be a high-ranking Ranger. "Great to meet you, Lash! Captain Shalin Nariya of Rustboro," the green-haired girl introduced herself. "This is Queen Zing," she gestured toward the Beedrill wearing a saddle. If the attractive lady was observant, she would be able to catch a glimpse of the BEEDRILLITE in the wasp's seat. "Looking forward to a good match! I don't think I'm going to make the top cut, but with a good run, maybe I'll make the money!"

There would be little time for pleasantries; Queen Zing forced the end of that, her deafening buzzing making it almost impossible to hear anything else - including the horn that signified the start of the match.

---

Lasciel Elis

Planning to use Mega Evolution!

{PC: 1}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Queen Zing    Beedrill**     ♥♥♥

A captain, huh? That was a fancy rank. She’d be wary of that person if she’d been out poaching for sure. But here on the pitch? That was more or less just some random person as far as she was concerned. Doubly good because Lash very much planned to only go back to said work after she had gotten her own age back, so if anything, she was the one that could get benefit here.



That being said, this captain came across as a little weird, at least to her. “Captain Nariya. I see. I think I will skip the rest of the title. Aaanyway, if you want to make money, this is probably not the best place to do that. Though there are some interesting prizes here, not going to lie.” Nodding to herself, she then gestured her shiny dusk form Lycanroc forward. “Let’s start this the usual way,” she ordered – causing her Lycanroc to start howling in order to cause sharp rocks to erupt from the ground in random places as she set up Stealth Rock.


Shalin Nariya
HP: 3/3
Z-Move on standby
Using Stealth Rock

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Lash was right. There was only a small fraction of the field that got paid, and an even smaller fraction that got break-even prizes. "I'm not here for the money, though. Too many Gym Leaders and battle professionals taking up the top slots," she replied before the starting horn sounded.

The Lycanroc was quick to hamper Queen Zing's maneuverability with a floating minefield of STEALTH ROCKS. Having to keep them in mind made it difficult for the green hornet to find a straight line she could charge at the rock-type with. Once she found one, though, the terrifying sound of her stings whirling like a Rhydon's horn would whistle above her buzzing. She rammed toward the Lycanroc in a DRILL RUN, looking to bore through the wolf's rocky armor.

---

Lasciel Elis

Planning to use Mega Evolution!

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{WC: 129}
{PC: 2}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Queen Zing    Beedrill**     ♥♥♥

Not a great start. That Bee was able to get through the stealth rock decently well, though fortunately it had to approach the Lycanroc at a less dangerous angle for the drill run. No blood was spilled to satisfy the crowd of potential onlookers, but it still evidently hurt as Lyca was flung back, evidently injured.

At least that was a proper hit, not some random little ember taking off a vital point. Still not the best outcome. Still though: “Don’t let up, Rock Slide next,” she ordered her Pokemon, which this time formed the rocks it tried to assault the bee with in a much more solid fashion, not to obstruct but to pay back for that drill run.


Shalin Nariya
HP: 2/3
Z-Move unused
Using Rock Slide
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The most important part of the Drill Run's impact was creating two holes in the rock-type's armor that Queen Zing's venomous barbs could not normally penetrate. With stationary rocks to avoid getting too close to and moving ones from the Lycanroc's ROCK SLIDE threatening the wasp, her wings had to work extra hard to keep her from being swatted out of the sky.

With a few rapid turns in an effort to swerve around the floating boulder garden, Queen Zing swung around Lasciel Elis 's partner. With a swoop and an extension of her rear, she reached toward one of the holes in the rock-type's armor with her FELL STINGER. A precise hit would afflict the foe with a venom that made their insides burn.

---

Lasciel Elis

Planning to use Mega Evolution!

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{PC: 3}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Queen Zing    Beedrill**     ♥♥♥

The bee was fast, of course. But a contest of speed was something this rock type could at the very least keep up with to an extent, at least. It managed to get away from the Fell Stinger for now. That was good.

But it also presented an opportunity. The Rock Slide had not managed to knock the bee out, though apparently it had scored a vital. But since it was relatively close to attempt the stinger, this meant a follow-up would be possible. “Accelerock, try to keep up with its speed,” she hence ordered, deeming this the best opportunity to try and get a melee hit in before the bee got away again. Or to incentivize it to stay close, which should keep it from leveraging its top speed.


Shalin Nariya
HP: 2/3
Z-Move unused
Accelerock used
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The ROCK SLIDE cut into Queen Zing's carapace, internal juices oozing from where the Lycanroc sliced and diced. She didn't want to use the Beedrill's Mega Stone in the battle if she could avoid it, but against such a powerful foe, she would need every bit of help she could get. Raising her right hand's index and middle fingers, she pinched the KEY STONE on her MEGA CIRCLET, both trainer and insect glowing with the purple and pink light of MEGA EVOLUTION.



The wasp boasted two extra stings and a freshly-patched carapace, fluid no longer dripping out of it. Her larger form came with stronger muscles, including those in her wings. With a deafening buzz, she chased after the accelerating Lycanroc, a whirlwind surrounding her in the wake of her giant wings. The green bug bobbed upward, looking for the perfect angle to crunch through the Lycanroc's rock-hard skin with driving DRAGON HAMMERS.

---

Lasciel Elis

Mega Evolution 1/2

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{WC: 153}
{PC: 4}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Queen Zing    Beedrill**     ♥♥♥

Huh? That came with healing powers? Mega evolutions were just broken. Then again, she was here because she heard one of those were among the prizes. The more she saw it in action, the better, really.

Stil though, it could not be nice for Lyca, who was flung about from the impact, rocks cracking here and there. Despite its defenses, that hurt. It could have been worse, probably. Kind of looked as if the other missed to some extent. But she could not get complacent about getting a bit lucky like this.

No, especially not with a mega evolution on the field. When things got explosive like this, she just had to respond in kind. Even if that meant briefly looking a bit silly as she activated her own bracelet and struck the rock pose. That way, she channeled some of that mysterious energy into Lyca, who was getting back on her feet now. Infused by that, the Lycanroc howled out, loudly and strongly, shattering some of the arena around her – and levitating the newly-freed rocks, turning them into projectiles once more. But this was not just another rock slide. This was their ultimate move, Splintering Stoneshards.

If this Shalin got serious, they had to get serious, too.

Shalin Nariya
HP: 1/3
Z-Move in use, +50
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There was no evading the sheet of SPLINTERING STONESHARDS; it covered the entire battle court, width and length. No matter how fast Queen Zing was, she could not teleport or burrow, the only two ways to evade the whirling, slicing shards of rock. Parts of her carapace were sliced open as the rocks fell on top of her, trapping her near the center.

With her mobility completely sapped, all she could do was use her wings to try to vibrate the rock around her into dust and fire a small volley of TWINEEDLES toward Lyca. Shalin had to keep her ears covered; even with that, she could still hear and even feel the sheer power behind the shockwaves the buzzing insect created.

---

Lasciel Elis

Mega Evolution 2/2

MXX2NzqR+20

{PC: 5}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Queen Zing    Beedrill**     ♥♥♥

Now this? This was the proper result she wanted to see out of a Z-Move. Taking away her opponent’s advantage, backing them into a corner and doing damage. That was, in her opinion, the proper outcome of a one-time trick like this.

Plus, it made up for having to strike a silly pose to boot, so there was that. It was the kind of trade-off she could sign off at least. But it was not the kind of attack that always, without fail, ended a fight. The bee was injured, sure, and it could not exactly mega-evolve again to heal that. Yet, it was still fighting, seeking to strike back right away.

Yet, this was still the best opportunity to try and press that advantage. She probably would not so soon get another one. Whatever happened next would certainly decide the match. Hence, she gave it some thought. But in the end, the was only one real option that seemed promising. “One more Rock Slide, try to finish this,” she ordered and Lyca put what she got into forming some more rocks, aiming them at the insectoid opponent.

Shalin Nariya
HP: 1/3
Z-Move no longer available
Rock Slide used
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The Lycanroc's ROCK SLIDE was far from full strength; it was a sign of the rock-type's weariness from the poison doing its job. Rather than risking getting close enough for a finishing blow, she would let the burning venom sap the remainder of its strength. Even if time ran out, she was confident that the judges would take that into account in making their decision.

The queen hornet stayed as far away from her foe as she could, her whirring and buzzing wings creating a TAILWIND behind her to improve her speed. It would also improve her ability to weave among the sharp stones raining down upon her. One false move, though, and she would be grounded. There would be no decision needed, and her tournament life would be in jeopardy!

---

Lasciel Elis

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{PC: 6}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Queen Zing    Beedrill**     ♥♥♥

Uh…huh. Truth be told, Lash was not quite sure how that happened. The last vital point was lost, even though no attack actually connected on Lyca. The rock slide did not hit, but it was still weird that a tail-wind would win a match.

There probably was some reason that the system called this for the other, but Lash could only shrug, slightly confounded. But it was also whatever. Ever since she learned that these were more like exhibition matches with obscure rules, some might even say random ones, she had given up on really trying.

Ah, well, she would simply shrug again. “Guess that’s it. People usually don’t stay to chat after these, so I am not going to keep you needlessly. Have fun in your next match,” she replied, staying polite. The other had given her no reason not to. And no one was at fault for the odd system.

Well, neither of them at least.



Shalin Nariya
HP: 0/3
Z-Move Status
lossl]

It was the poison that did it. All it took was one sting, and the venom would do the rest of the work, sapping the foe's strength until they collapsed. Shalin's plan to keep Queen Zing away from Lash's Pokémon worked, the referees declaring her the winner.

"It's mostly because of the match timers," Shalin speculated. "That and people want to catch a breather between matches. We've still got two more before they let us break for lunch." While she didn't quite understand Lash, she was still appreciative of her professionalism in the event. "Good luck to you, too." With that, she turned around to get Queen Zing patched up before the next round.

---

Lasciel Elis

a4|vO0_u

{PC: 7}

NAME          SPECIES        STATUS
Queen Zing    Beedrill**     ♥♥♥